Friday, March 25, 2011

Crème fraiche is French for "fresh cream," which makes it one of the most ironically named foods ever, since it's made by leaving cream out in a warm spot until it’s soured and thickened by a growing colony of bacteria. Yeah, fresh.

Regardless, making crème fraiche is very easy and as the title implies, once you taste the magic of homemade sour cream, you'll have a hard time not repeating this somewhat esoteric exercise. Sure it takes a couple days, but the effort is minimal for such a marvelous payoff.

As I mention in the video, besides the amazing taste and luxurious texture, maybe the best thing about crème fraiche is its ability to be cooked. Because of it's composition and fat content, it doesn’t curdle and separate when you heat it like sour cream.

This makes it an incredibly versatile addition to countless recipes. I can't think of many pan sauces that don’t benefit from a spoon or two. Yesterday on this blog, you saw it stirred into fried rice. Next week, you'll see it turn an ordinary pan of braised beef into a world-class Stroganoff. I could go on and on, and for SEO purposes I probably should, but you get the idea.

As long as your jars and utensils are very clean, preferably sterilized, there isn’t a lot that can go wrong. Be sure to get your hands on the best, freshest cream you can find. In the supermarket you'll want to look for "pasteurized," not "ultra-pasteurized" heavy whipping cream. Also, be sure to use cultured buttermilk otherwise you’re going to be waiting a full day to see nothing happen.

By the way, I'm extremely proud of this video recipe and blog post, but not for the usual reasons. It's because I didn’t make one single Randy Marsh joke! You South Park fans know what I'm talking about, and those of you that don’t should really check out this crème fraiche-themed episode. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

Mix together and leave in a warm spot (about 70-75 degrees F.) for 24 hours, or until thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Should last a week or two.

This proves yet again why I love what you do! I've made creme fraiche before but heated it, and very happy to know I can skip that step since it's one less pot to wash. Using the coffee filter was pretty damn brilliant too.

Chef John, this looks delicious! I need help though... I'm living in a country where cultured buttermilk is impossible to find. Is there any way I can make this cultured buttermilk from scratch to then make Crème fraiche??

It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who goes nuts over Crème Fraiche. Thanks for demonstrating the technique. Someone told me about this some time ago but I didn't trust the information because I couldn't imagine leaving cream unrefrigerated for 24 hours. South Park reference aside (so not my thing), my heartfelt thanks for doing this video.

Now, if we can solve the mystery as to how to make (or get in the US) double cream! That would complete my trifecta of foodie love which includes Crème Fraiche, Double Cream and a great Yellow Curry Sauce. (So far, I only have a "good" yellow curry sauce. Will work on "great" later!)

I have trouble finding anything but ultra-pasteurized cream and I have looked and looked. I do get 40% heavy cream (ultra-pasteurized, of course) that is already VERY thick. Do you think it would work. BTW, no problem finding cultured buttermilk.Thanks for the post. I'll be trying this soon.Jackie

I just made my first batch of creme fraiche... I didn't think it would work, but it did! I had a bit of a hard time finding a warm spot in my (generally) cold kitchen, but I placed my jar near my furnace and it definitely did the trick. Now I just have to wait to try it while it cools in the fridge...

Wonderful Video! Well produced and helps clarify a mystery of the food world. It would be interesting to know more about certain food ingredients even if they can't (or shouldn't) be created at home. Like molasses for example. What is it? And Clouted cream?

Of course its really hard to find actual buttermilk these days for many parts of the US.

How does this differ from yogurt? Is it just the cream vs milk, or something else. So many questions...

FYI, I made this just the other day using ultra-pasteurized cream (couldn't find it any other way), and it turned out perfect. After only 12 hours it was already thick. I gave it the full 24 on the counter, and then after another 24 in the fridge, the top was extremely thick, like the consistency of whipped butter. But once I stirred it together, it was heavenly. Creamy, delicious, and all the people at my early Cinco de Mayo shindig last night were impressed that I'd made sour cream. Thanks!

i have just made sour cream yesterday and iit has been approx 20 hrs,their is a liqudy residue at the bottom and a big chunk of cream like soft butter.....is it alright??is it ok if i just whip it well??will it turn out??thank you..

I decided to make this today. The only glass jar I own is 400ml, but due to a brain fart, I used three tablespoons of buttermilk anyway (I had planned to use slightly less). Do you suppose it will still turn out alright, or should I just start over now?

This might sound really stupid...But how to know whether the cream fraiche is spoiled or not?I never had one before and...

I forgot that the temperature is much hotter here (can go up to 30 C, yours is like 24-27 C) and I waited for 24 hours. Its thick like in the video but since this is all new to me so I don't know. Now its just waiting in the fridge...for another 24 hours.

Always wanted to try Creme Fraiche. First tried store-bought...it was almost 6 bucks for 8 oz, but I didn't have time to make it myself. This time I made this full batch. It tastes great on an egg omelette, and mixed with honey on top of fresh berries. Someone said it tastes like cheesecake - and it does! Also mixed it with balsamic to put on an English muffin. Also served it on top of fish...not sure what it wouldn't taste good on!

I made this, and it worked! It's rather like magic, isn't it?I am also making your Cherry Folditup, but with blackberries. I was thinking to use the creme fraiche on the galette. I think you said somewhere that the creme can be whipped? Is there anything I need to know about how to do that, or should I just treat it like whipping cream?

I want to make your stroganoff recipe for dinner tomorrow night with friends. If I make the creme fraiche now, I won't time to let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours if I plan to use it tomorrow. Could I skip the refrigerator step? :)

If you reserve 3 tablespoons of your homemade creme fraiche and use that for the starter of your next batch (replacing the buttermilk) it will get better and better each time! Similar to a really well aged sourdough starter.

I don't have a need for this much creme fraiche at one time even if it does keep in the frig. Can I make a half pint and still get a good result? Just because my family is smaller now doesn't mean I don't want homemade. If this is ok to downsize would a tablespoon and a half of buttermilk be sufficient?

BTW, thank you for all you share with us. You makes me think I can cook.

I did not know you could freeze cf. So is it possible to freeze buttermilk? Although it is cheap I have a difficult time using it up before it goes bad, and I hate to throw it away. Even though I would like buttermilk biscuits everyday, I can't.

Yes, you can freeze buttermilk. I do it all the time. I also make my own cultured buttermilk from a store-bought start. I just use 1/2 cup of stuff from the store in a quart jar. fill with milk and let sit out 24 or so hours. I freeze my buttermilk in 1/2 cup portions so that if something happens (like I forget and use all of a batch of buttermilk) I can just start again.

Until yesterday, I had never tasted creme fraiche, much less make any. I have been unable to find anything but ultra-pasteurized heavy cream, so I bought some of it. I did 1 cup of it and 2 tbsp cultured whole buttermilk. I put it in a jar in the microwave to sit for 24 hours. (No, I didn't nuke it). I really expected it to fail, but at the end of 24 hours, it was thickening. I put it in the fridge, and this morning, I have this beautiful creme fraiche. In the meantime I found Vermont Creamery creme fraiche at our grocery store yesterday and bought it. It doesn't appear to have anything in it but what it's supposed to have, but what I made is so much better tasting! A little sweeter tasting. I'm so happy to have found your instructions. I doubt I will ever buy sour cream again!

Ultra-pasturized heavy whipping creme worked fine for this. That is all they had at Wally World. Used their buttermilk too. This came out great. I skipped the Sterilizing step also. I just mixed it all up in a small mason jar, covered with a coffee filter and put it in the hall closet for 24 hours. The closet was never more that 68 degrees, thats where we keep the temp in winter.I am going to try this with my home made kefir next. Kefir is a lot like buttermilk but it is the probiotic nirvanna. I usually buy kefir cheese at a deli to make tatziki sauce. This would be a lot more convenient.You rock Chef John!

I must be doing SOMETHING wrong. I am using an organic non-ultra pasteurized heavy creme, and cultured buttermilk. Im sterilizing the jar, and am putting it in a warm environment. After almost 2 whole DAYS, the best I have been able to get is something more like Mexican creme (runny sour cream).

How cold is your house?I use store-bought cultured buttermilk in ultra-pasteurized milk (all I can get here)and it takes about 2 to 3 days to culture. But it's winter and the house is about 65 degrees. So all of my cultures are slow to culture. Come summer, when the house is 80, they'll all be ready in a day.

Just bought whipping cream and buttermilk for a cupcake. So going to make creme fraiche!! I can already imagine it in the creamy salmon and leek pasta I'm gonna serve and also substituting the sour cream in my mushroom soup with it!

I have made this several times now and its a HUGE hit at our house !! I use to make dips with,garnish dishes, etc - WONDERFUL stuff and sooo easy!! I find it lasts at least 2 weeks and tastes great still!! (but it gets eaten long before that ! LOL ) however I did make a double batch once and that lasted about 2 weeks...

I somehow made creme fraiche without the buttermilk cause i forgot to put it in but somehow it has the same texture in your video when its done(i didn't taste if it was tangy cause i used it right away), is it possible to make it without the buttermilk or did i just messed it up? I live in the tropics so its hot and quite humid in here so maybe there's natural yeast floating in the air in my kitchen, you know, like your follow the sourdough video, and that can replace the culture in the buttermilk. I also used a piece of tissue and poke several holes into it, instead of using a coffee filter to cover it.

Made this over the weekend and now the wife loves me even more. She's been gorging on the stuff and yes, she did start out with "this tastes like sour cream" but has now graduated to "this is waaaay better than sour creme". She's been putting it on her toast, her Indian stuffed flat bread (paranthas) and I can't wait to make myself an omelet every morning just so that I can have more creme fraiche. As you might have noticed, you really did come up with a winner because a year+ since the post, you are still receiving comments (and praise) at a pretty steady clip for this recipe.

Made this over the weekend and now the wife loves me even more. She's been gorging on the stuff and yes, she did start out with "this tastes like sour cream" but has now graduated to "this is waaaay better than sour creme". She's been putting it on her toast, her Indian stuffed flat bread (paranthas) and I can't wait to make myself an omelet every morning just so that I can have more creme fraiche. As you might have noticed, you really did come up with a winner because a year+ since the post, you are still receiving comments (and praise) at a pretty steady clip for this recipe.

Yet more praise. Needed something more than just whipped cream for a dessert topping for some catering. Remembered the Creme Fraiche you did. Made a whole whack of it. So good and it added the needed touch. Thanks again for this and everything you do.

Question: My creme fraiche mixture has been sitting in my kitchen for 1 1/2 and it doesn't smell sour but it already thickens. Should i continue until it sits for 2 days or should i put it in the fridge. PS. It's not hot these days in here and i used yoghurt instead of buttermilk, maybe one or both of them are the cause for the delay i have here? Thanks Chef.

Arg!Our apartment averages about 67 degrees, and I just left the jar on a shelf. The creme fraiche did not set. Was this slightly too low temp the cause? After 24 hours in the fridge, there was a lovely layer of thick cream on top, but the rest was only slightly thickened.Will try the stove light trick next.(Does light, or lack of light, contribute the process?)

Hi Chef John- great recipe!! I am making creme fraiche pretty much the same way you did, except with yogurt instead of Butter-Cream. I just put it in the fridge and tasted it a little bit- is it normal for it to taste a bit like spoiled cream, or did something go wrong?

Chef John!! I'm a huge fan of your blog! Awesome work mate! I just watched the creme fraiche S.P episode in the office and was in stitches! Espicially considering that i'm a geologist and total afecianado of the Food Network! :) Oh and I just started a batch of C.F last night, and hoping it works out.

Dear Chef John, thanks so much for this recipe - I know I won't be buying sour cream again! This Creme Fraiche turned out just as you described and I have enjoyed it as an accessory to your potato pancakes and a few other potato sides, as well as the accent mark on enchiladas, and, thinned with a drop of milk to make the topping for your asparagus soup. Delightful!... but now I need more ways to use buttermilk! ha!

This Creme Fraiche is so easy to make and a pleasure to the taste buds. There wasn't a single complaint from the family as they savored the peach cobbler, beef stroganoff, and the chicken with dumplings. We tried these all and are so comforted. Thanks John.

I've been making this continually since I discovered it about a year ago. Had it this morning atop a smoke salmon omelet

I don't boil my containers, though. In brewing beer I was taught to keep everything clean but not necessarily sterile. The idea being that the bacteria that creates the fermentation is strong enough to overcome any stray bacteria. I just wash and rinse thoroughly.

I used this method but found the local cultured buttermilk a little too harsh when I used it. So I bought some commercial creme fraiche from the fancy food store and added it to the cream at around 2-3 tbsp per cup cream (I think I accidentally got whipping cream) and it turned out great and tasted a lot like the original.

So if you have a store bought creme fraiche you like you can extend it with this method.

I started my crème fraiche with ultra pasteurized heavy cream, and it worked fine. I used what was left over to start another batch. It's really good now, sort of buttery with a little tang. I used it in the Pork Al Latte recipe, and it was delicious. I am done buying sour cream!

You keep saying that it's so much better than store-bought sour cream, but is it significantly better than store-bought creme fraiche? Cause I've been using that for years, and it's not even that much more expensive than sour cream.

I make this recipe all the time and love it. However I cannot find cultured buttermilk that hasn't then been pasteurized. So I tried it with yogurt instead. It works just great. Can't tell you if it tastes the same but it tastes wonderful! That really is the trick to this. No live culture, no creme fraiche.

Now I don't know if you monitor older posts, but I've got a question I'm hoping you could answer.

I made the creme fraiche. But it took me about 2 days before I could refrigerate it. It must have been a combination of the creme I used and the temperature. Is it alright to stay at room temp. like that for 2 days?

Hi, Chef JohnIs there a reason for leaving it out all day at room temp cause I let it get to room temp and then started shaking the jar and it got so think it appeared done to me, stuck it straight in the fridge,,next day tastes just like sour cream to me...Just seeing if there is any benefit to letting it set that long?

Chef John, I just saw your video on making crème fraîche. I need some to make the recipe you posted for a BLT pasta. My supermarkets do not have crème fraîche . I'm about to make a batch and also saw your comment on making butter with crème fraîche but you didn't give any directions. Would love to do this so please tell me how. By the way you are awesome.

I made the Crete fraiche a couple of days ago with ultrapasteurized cream because that's all I could find. It worked very well. Have to admit that after I refrigerated it became very thick like cold butter. Not sure if that's good or not but it tastes heavenly. Is it supposed to be that thick?I put it on a baked potato tonight and it was absolutely fantastic. You're right, I won't go back to getting sour cream at the supermarket anymore.I making a corn/poblano/bacon chowder tomorrow and it calls for thickening with half-and-half. I'm going to use the crème fraîche ...it can only make it much better.

I need some help. went shopping for cultured buttermilk and all I could find was low fat cultured buttermilk. will that work for the preparation of the crème fraiche? also, a friend of mine told me it was ok to freeze heavy cream and it would not be affected if I thawed it slowly in the frig. is that true? please respond to my email. gaylesvelvet@gmail.com. BIG THANX. YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP

Good morning! I just discover your channel, inst subscribe! Great videos and recipes, love your voice and I'm wondering if I'll get to see your face in one of them :) My question is: Would this recipe work if I use milk keffir? Or home made yogurt? There is no buttermilk in Argentina so...I have a yogurt maker so I was planning to use it to maintain the temp on the creme do you think it will work? Thx again! Cheers from Buenos Aires :))

I've successfully made this a few times since I discovered Food Wishes this fall. I am ready to take this to the next level. Marisa McClellan at foodinjars.com uses homemade creme frâiche to make cultured butter, which I would like to try next. Now if I am not mistaken, the resulting liquid that would separate from the CF-turned-butter would be cultured buttermilk, which I could then use for my next batch of CF. Assuming this is correct, how many times can I safely repeat this cycle without accidentally growing something toxic in my kitchen?

I'm hoping you can help me with the problem I'm having making crème fraîche. The first three times I made it a couple of months ago it turned out perfect. The last three times I've made it refuses to thicken at all even after 20 hours. It's at 72 to 74° and I'm using pasteurized cream and cultured buttermilk just like I always do. What would cause the crème fraîche to remain unchanged?

Chef john. What the hell? I didn't know you live in San Francisco. That's awesome. If you don't mind me asking. What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area? It's my wife's Birthday this weekend. I'd love to take her out. We live in the San Joaquin Valley. Nice to go over the hill every now and then, especially for food and drink. Thanks Chef

No way I could pick a favorite, but here's my Google map some of my favorite spots. Most are casual neighborhood places, https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?authuser=0&hl=en&mid=zK3epup7y1WA.klAcB6SYVu5Y enjoy!

Thank you Chef John, for this great CF!But I do have a question about the cultured buttermilk. You only need a small amount when make a jar of CF, but the speed of making new batch of CF won't catch up the expiration date of the buttermilk. So how do you keep the cultured buttermilk if you cannot use it up before the expiration date? Can you freeze?

Chef John, am I missing the obvious, here? What do you do to eliminate the clear liquid (whey?) at the bottom of the container once the mixture has thickened? I sadly discovered that mixing it back into the thickened cream only makes the mixture liquidy again.... What have I done wrong? (not sure if you will read this, since your post was produced in 2011, but I sincerely hope you do)

My creme fraishe is working now. I can thank Chef John for making me a foodie. Yes it's his fault. I won't buy store bought sour cream. This is way better. As much sour cream as we consume, this won't last long.

Making it as we speak.Set up a medium sized cooler with two jars of hot water.Put the Creme mix in a separate jar of course. Set into the cooler and covered all of the jars with a kitchen towel then closed the cooler.Seems to be working well to keep the environment warm enough for the cultures to party.

Di, I keep my house on the cool side during the winter and living in Vegas I can do that. I keep my thermostat set at about 65° and sometimes I turn the heat off completely especially at night so it's too cool to make the crème fraîche but your idea of putting hot jars in a cooler is brilliant. Wish I had thought of that. I'm definitely going to try this one.

The cooler method worked great. Beautiful thick creme fresh. Question, I used greek yogurt for the culture and the creme fresh wasn't very sour. I want more zip. Was it because I didn't use buttermilk? Suggestions?

Hi Chef John! I have a batch of crème fraîche culturing right now and my plan is to make beef stroganoff with it this weekend, but I'm also going to be making your milk and orange braised carnitas. I'd like to add some of the crème fraîche to my carnitas during the milk simmering process for a little extra umph of flavor. My question is this. I'm unsure of how the crème fraîche will react with the orange juice/milk simmering process. Please advise on if you think it would be OK to try this method. Thanks so much and LOVE you and your videos!

Hi Chef John,I fixed the beef stroganoff using the homemade creme fraiche and it was awesome. I love the texture of the creme fraiche it was thick and had a nut like taste. Thanks and I look forward to your videos! I will never buy creme fraiche in the store again!

I've been wanting to make this for YEARS but I could never find non ultra-pasteurized cream! And I looked in every grocery store in my fairly-large city. Two weeks ago I finally found super fresh cream, like straight from the cow, and was so excited I went right home and made it!!! I used it in million dollar chicken and the pecan coffee crumb cake and (obviously) WOW.

Is it possible to make a larger batch than just 2 cups? I know with some creams you have to stay with a smaller quantity due to the culture factor. But I'd like to make this by the gallon as I could easily use that much in a week's time.

If it is possible to make a larger batch, any advice to the type of container used to ensure the cultured buttermilk is spread throughout? Or does it matter?

I live in Vietnam, and buttermilk is impossible to find, so I used 2 tbsp of live yogurt instead. It worked perfectly, just like the video. I've read that there's a taste and texture difference to buttermilk vs yogurt fed creme fraiche, but it looked and tasted like the store bought stuff in London.

I live in Georgia so getting cultured buttermilk is super easy, however, I hadn't used buttermilk in years and here in the south when it says cultured it means cultured. The one I bought was actually clotty when I opened it. I could not find heavy creme that wasn't ultra-pasteurized though.

I made the 1st batch about 2 hours short of 48 hours ago and it's not turning out. I'm pretty sure it's because the buttermilk had separated and I couldn't get it mixed back up enough.

Tonight I did a second batch. The buttermilk mixed up beautifully so hopefully this batch will turn out great. I have the whole chicken and chuck roast waiting in my refrigerator for some great Creme Fraiche.

I just bought an Instant Pot for those nights that I have to bang out a lot of food, mostly meal-prep for lunches during the week -- I still save my Chef John recipes as a treat for the weekends, however. Anywhoo, I just found out that I can use my Instant Pot to make this creme fraiche, and I'm thrilled! This is definitely a project I'll be doing in the very near future. Your Million Dollar Chicken is calling my name.

For those of you with an Instant Pot, follow CJ's instructions and then the following:

Place the jar on a rack in the Instant Pot. Close the lid and set the cooker for yogurt and 6 hours. When the time is up, taste the creme fraiche. It will be a lot looser than after it's chilled, but taste for tartness. If you want it more tart, cook for an additional 2 hours or more.